Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Roe V. Wade Anniversary

So today is the 35th anniversary of Roe V. Wade, the historical decision of the Supreme Court to legalize abortion. I find myself feeling like I have to talk about this topic. For a large portion of my life I found myself 200% pro-life, always thinking that people that have abortions are all irresponsible sex-craving kids who were too young to be having sex and deal with the consequences. Without question, I was not only ignorant and judgemental in this, I was wrong. While there are some people that use Abortion as a form of birth control, there are just as many people that find themselves in a really hard place when they see that test turn positive.

When this matter hit close to home, I had no choice but to re-position my thoughts on this matter. While I do think that every child has a right to life, I also think that every woman has the right to decide what is best for her, for her body, for her future and for the future of that child. There is no reason that ANYONE should ever be able to tell you that you have to have a child. This is on EVERY level a personal, individual, person-by-person situation that can't and shouldn't be mandated by any governing body of law. I think that until you are in, or you know someone in, this situation you can't pass judgement on it. Feel free to think whatever you want, but it is completely unfair for you to protest this so adamantly. Because until you are that person that has to live with the guilt of your decision every single day, until you are that person that has to agonize over making that decision, until you are that person that thinks about this every time you even think about having sex, or every time you have sex, until you live 1 single day in the mind of someone that has had to have an abortion and you understand what happens to their psyche after a decision and a process like this, there is a chance that you may not be able to even begin to tell them how much you protest this, how against this you are, because you will realize it is much more than what you are protesting, it is much more than your convictions and your feelings, it is so much more than politics, it is people and it is personal.

Maybe these pro-life protesters should take the time to sit down with someone that has had to go through this and see what this person is like. Learn that this person is not the devil that you paint them out to be, realize, that maybe they have a lot of the same thoughts as you. All I'm saying is until it hits home for you, maybe you shouldn't judge, maybe your efforts should be concentrated on issues that really need to be fought.